I'm in the process of unpacking things in the new house in Jackson and packing things for France -- interesting work to pack and unpack at the same time! I'm anxious to begin the adventure of studying abroad but also nervous & sad to leave Jacob and Christian for so long -- they assure me that they'll miss me but that they'll be fine!


Here's a picture of Christian riding his bike in front of the new house while I'm working inside (packing & unpacking) ... he's LOVING having a backyard and plenty of room to ride his bike.





Since I may not have internet access to post any updates for the first week that I'm in France, here's what I'll be doing:

Tuesday, May 22 -- I fly out of Memphis to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Paris. We arrive in Paris at 11:50 am on Wednesday, May 23.

From Paris, I'll take a bus to Tours, the town where I'll be studying. This is a photo of Tours.

I'll be staying at Hôtel Rabelais in Tours for the 4 days before I meet my host family.


Tours is in the Loire Valley, an area of France known for its castles and "pure" French. I'll visit several area châteaux before my classes begin on May 28.

Thursday, May 24 -- I'll visit Château de Chambord and Château de Blois.

This is Château de Chambord, the largest castle of the Loire Valley, It was built from 1519-1547 as a hunting lodge (!) for King François I. Click here to read more about Château de Chambord.




This is Château de Blois, a château built in the middle of the town of Blois. Wikipedia says that Joan of Arc went to this château in 1429 to be blessed before leaving with her army to drive the English out of Orléans. Click here to read more about Château de Blois.





Friday, May 25 -- I'll visit Château d'Amboise and the Vouvray wine caves.

This is Château d'Amboise. Leonardo da Vinci came to this château as a guest of the King in 1515. He stayed in a nearby manor house that was connected by an underground passage to the château. Click here to read more about Château d'Amboise on Wikipedia.





Wine has been made in the area of Vouvray since the 5th century A.D. Click here to read more about Vouvray wines on Wikipedia.






Saturday, May 26 -- I'll visit Château de Chenonceau.


Both of these photos are of the Château de Chenonceau, second to the Palace of Versailles for most visited château in France.
King Henry II (who was married to Catherine de Medici) gave this château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers in 1547. After Henry's death, his widow Catherine de Medici had Diane expelled from the château. As regent of France, Catherine made Chenonceau her favorite residence and hosted elaborate parties here. During her son Francois II's ascension to the throne, the first fireworks display in France was held here. Click here to read more on Wikipedia.

Sunday, May 27 -- I'll meet my host family. All I know so far is that their last name is Bel. I'm looking forward to meeting them and am really excited about staying with a French family.

Monday, May 28 -- I'll begin classes at the Institut de Touraine. My study program is organized by the University of West Georgia, so I'm enrolled there as a transient student. I'll earn 6 hours of graduate credit that will transfer to the University of Memphis for my degree.

This is what the Institut's website says:
"The simple holiday course, which started in 1897 and became the Institut d’Etudes Françaises de Touraine (Touraine Institute of French Studies) in 1912, has acquired a sound basis for its teaching over the years. At Tours, in the Loire Valley where, as the famous French historian Michelet said «our language is spoken with the most beautiful and purest accent of all», the Institut de Touraine has become a teaching center of international repute."


That's all for now -- I'll post more when I'm in France and have internet access!